


your lips tell me "yes", but your eyes say "no"

by ScrambledScreams



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, No it is NOT intentional, Panic Attacks, Yes it is between Keith and Lance a lil, klance, lemme know guys, possible ooc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-20 18:19:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10668168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScrambledScreams/pseuds/ScrambledScreams
Summary: "Lance - wedidn't know,"Keith says, his voice hoarse, and with that someone's kicked the ground out from underneath Lance's feet, and he's tumbling head over heels. His head is spinning, and he must grab onto Keith's arm for stability because the red paladin's hand is on his, firm and stable and keeping him grounded."We didn't know.""But -"It's so obvious.





	your lips tell me "yes", but your eyes say "no"

**Author's Note:**

> wtf even is that title tbh
> 
> so recently i became voltron trash (and dragged my younger brothers down with me ha) and thus this was born.
> 
> have some angsty then happy Klance shit yall

It's so blindingly obvious when they come to rescue him, how could they not know? The evidence is right there, all over his body - they have to know. They're just not talking about it because it's disgusting, like him. Who would want to talk about this, him? It's - disgusting. That's it, just plain and simple. They know, and he knows they know, despite how much he wishes they didn't. 

It's why he's surprised, when Keith still wants him. Still wants to pin him against a wall and be pinned, to press their lips together fiercely and run his hands over Lance's body. The brunet figures that he should be grateful that the red paladin would still want him after it happened, after everything he's been through - so when Keith asks if it's okay he says yes, the lie hissing through his teeth. He owes Keith this, doesn't he? Owes him these moments because somewhere in his thinking he believes Keith might get mad if he says no, and so it's better to just not hurt either of them and say yes.

But it is hurting him - it clings to him like a film, and his heart stutters in his chest with quietly choked gasps because something is _wrong,_ he's _damaged_ \- his dark skin will flush red and splotchy under the frantic motions of the cloth over his legs, arms and torso. His chest will be squeezed, like someone's tied a rope around his ribcage and it burns every time it tightens, choking him more and more until dark spots dance in front of his eyes and he's kneeled over in the shower, sobbing and gasping for breath. If he says yes, everything will be fixed, he tells himself. That's why he grits his teeth and bears through the memories, he wants it _out out out_ and if he can't achieve that while he's with Keith, he must be broken.

"Lance, Lance wait." Keith gasps one evening, and his chest is tight but Lance obediently stops, keeping his face hidden in shadow to disguise the tear tracks that stain his cheeks. Keith pulls back further, gently takes his chin in his hand - "Lance, _look at me_ ," and the brunet tips his chin down and away, eyes downcast and cheeks flushed with quickly fading arousal and steadily growing shame.

"Are you - Lance, why are you crying? Are you alright? Did I hurt you?" 

The red paladin sounds terrified, sitting up and moving away slightly. "It's fine -!" Lance tries to insist, gently grabbing Keith's wrist with a hand, but his voice is shaky and trembling and anything _but_ fine.

"No, you're not. We're going to talk about this right now, no avoiding it. What's wrong? What's going on?"

He doesn't want to talk about this, doesn't want to think - he just wants to get this all over with and satisfy Keith, so he can sneak back into his own room and take a shower so hot his skin burns. Surging forward slightly, he captures the shorter boy's lips into an almost frantic kiss, trying to make him stop talking and just continue with what they were doing before, but Keith pulls away with a slight frown on his face and rests his hands firmly on Lance's shoulders. " _Stop_. Tell me what's wrong."

"I don't -"

_I can't._

_I_ won't. 

_I_ -

"Okay. Okay. Let's - let's start small, okay? How often has this been happening?"

He swallows hard, looks away - this must be enough of an answer for Keith, because he sits back on his heels and exhales raggedly, running a hand through his thick hair. "Okay. Is it because of what we're doing? Am - do you feel like I'm forcing you to do this? _Am_ I forcing you?"

Lance shakes his head, but it's so small and timid and Keith mumbles a quiet "oh my god," dragging a hand down his face. "Lance, I - I'm _so_ sorry. I didn't - I should have made sure you were really okay with it, I - "

"Keith," he says quietly, and the brunet looks up.

"It's not - I don't feel like you're forcing me. I just don't feel like it's right to say no, especially if you're still wanting me after -"

His throat closes up, and it feels like there's a Hunk-sized rock sitting on his chest. He doesn't dare mention _it,_ because no one else has been, and he might be breaking some kind of unspoken rule by mentioning the incident, and it'll make everyone even more upset - 

"After what?"

Keith's voice is gentle and soft, even as there's a hint of worry travelling alongside it. Lance swallows again, and the lump in his throat has grown only larger, his hands clenching into tight fists. 

"When - when you guys brought me back from the Galra ship." His voice is so small, so soft that Keith has to lean in to catch it, brow twisted in concern. "I - You guys know this, you were all there -"

It's on the tip of his tongue, and he can't spit it out. His nails are digging into his palms, and Keith takes his hand and flattens the clenched fingers, spreading them against his own. If he's going to do this, best sooner than later -

"W-what the guards on that ship did. To me." He's still dancing around the topic, he doesn't want to say it, but Keith isn't getting it and Lance just wants to forget this ever happened, wishes that time machines were real and he could go back and fix this so he doesn't have to talk about it, doesn't have to suffer through the crushing pain in his chest and the burning behind his eyes.

"I don't -"

"Rape, okay?! You were all there, you all saw, don't - don't pretend you didn't -"

The silence after his outburst, after he tears the proverbial bandaid off in one fluid motion, is even worse than having not said anything at all. He refuses to look up at Keith, refuses to look anywhere but the blankets below the two of them because he knows he's going to see the disappointment on Keith's face if he looks up. 

"You - what?"

That's not the tone he's expecting. He's expecting a mocking tone, maybe Keith telling him that, because he's brought it up, they can't be together anymore - Lance inhales through his nose, exhales softly out of his nose. He's not going to panic, he's _not_ -

"Lance - we _didn't know,_ " Keith says, his voice hoarse, and with that someone's kicked the ground out from underneath Lance's feet, and he's tumbling head over heels. His head is spinning, and he must grab onto Keith's arm for stability because the red paladin's hand is on his, firm and stable and keeping him grounded.

"We didn't know."

"But -"

It was so obvious? How could they not know? There's -

"It was _obvious_ , his hands, and the bruises -"

"You had your battle suit on when we came to get you, as it was a little torn but it looked otherwise fine. We didn't see any bruises, or hands."

The one hand that isn't gripping Keith's so tightly it's causing it to lose circulation comes up to his forehead, slides down to cover his mouth, rests on chapped and bitten lips. The pressure in his chest hasn't alleviated any, and Lance blinks as the burning behind his eyelids builds, tears threatening to make another appearance. 

_They don't know._

"I thought," and a sob rips itself out of his chest, his breathing growing shallow and rapid, "I thought you guys just didn't care, that you found me _gross_ and didn't want to talk about it at all -" his words are stammered, and he _must_ look disgusting right now with tears running down his blotchy cheeks but Keith doesn't care, he pulls him into a tight hug and cards his fingers through his short brown hair. "I swear, _none_ of us even guessed. We thought - we thought they just roughed you up a bit, trying to get information -" Keith sounds close to crying now, and it's so out of character for the normally stoic teen. "I'm so sorry, Lance. I'm so sorry."

Lance doesn't say anything, he just clutches Keith's hand in his own and pulls it towards his chest, shaking.

"We don't have to do this again if you're not comfortable." Keith says quietly, resting his forehead against the blue paladin's. "If _anything_ is ever too much, _please_ tell me."

\--

Nothing is fixed immediately.

Now that he knows he's allowed to say no, Lance does - he doesn't owe Keith anything, and the shorter boy makes sure to emphasize that often. 

"I- I might not ever be ready." He says quietly, voice cracking as they curl up against each other on Keith's bed. 

"That's okay." Keith replies quietly, reaching up and tracing his fingertips across Lance's jaw. "Can I kiss you?"

He nods, and means it - Keith shifts so he can actually reach Lance's face, gently pressing their lips together. It's soft, and nothing's rushed, and for the first time in a long while he feels like everything's slowed down instead of rushing ahead at a breakneck speed. Lance lifts a hand to run his fingers gently through Keith's hair, and Keith's hand is resting loosely on his side, a warm comfort. 

"I love you."

The words are out before he can stop them, before he can mull over them in silence, and a slight blush paints his cheeks. Keith looks up in surprise - Lance is so close to panicking, his fear is choking him - and then the brunet's lips curve up into a warm smile, 

"Love you too, Lance."

**Author's Note:**

> so the outcome is kinda up to your interpretation i guess. did lance ever tell the rest of his team? who knows. go ahead and tell me what you think and also yell at me abt voltron in the comments yo


End file.
